Into The Hollers(working title) excerpt

Hey everyone,

The following is a rough draft excerpt from the book I'm working on that recounts my year as an organizer in West Virginia and Kentucky with SEIU/District 1199 WV/KY/OH.

This section talks about my first day on the job. All feedback would be helpful and encouraged.

Day One

Shit. I mumbled to myself as I sat up along the side of the bed in the darkness of my room at the Ramada Inn situated right off Interstate 64 in Huntington, WEst Virginia. Still groggy from my six hour drive through the mountains from Brunswick, Maryland the night before, I stumbled over to the window and drew the shades. The morning sky was dreary, and it was still raining. As the cars passed along the interstate, I joked to myself, "We'll, can't beat the view."

I got myself together and climbed into my 1999 Volvo station wagon - an unconventional vehicle choice for a union organizer. I soon discovered that most organizers drive either a small four cylinder car because of the amount of miles they drive, or an SUV. This is handy for hauling union supplies around, but it is useful mainly for dragging members to events.

The HR coordinator had informed me that rather than spending my first day filling out paperwork during a traditional orientation, I would be traveling in a three hour caravan from Huntington to Columbus, Ohio for a rally against Ohio Senate Bill 5. S.B. 5 proposed the elimination of collective bargaining rights for public sector employees. Aside from the general importance of showing solidarity with our union sisters and brothers, this would affect about 7,000 members of our Local, approximately a third of the total membership of our Local.

I was more than a little excited about the reality that I was now getting paid to attend a rally that I usually would have showed up to for free. I met with a few of our members at the union office across town, where we piled into a fifteen passenger van in preparation for our three hour journey. After a few minutes of pleasantries and being welcomed to the union, I struck up a conversation with a woman whom I thought was one of my members. After we shared a very in depth discussion on our respective philosophies regarding the labor movement, including a very frank assessment of the internal struggle going on in California with NUHW, I discovered that the woman I had been speaking to was in fact the Executive Vice-President of the entire Local.

As I sat internally kicking myself for being so open about my opinion regarding SEIU's undemocratic direction, Kathy assured me that they did things differently, and that due to 1199's merger agreement, they could never be placed under trusteeship. This time, I kept my trap shut on not sharing her opinion on this point. I decided to play it safe and stick to non-work related topics for the remainder of the trip.

When we arrived at the main office in Columbus, the building was overflowing with staff and members who were being herded onto charter buses that would ferry us downtown to the statehouse. There had been rumors that the governor would have the state police lock the doors, and sure enough, about five minutes after we gained access, we were informed that once we left the building, we would not be permitted to re-enter the facility. The building was filled to the brim with union members. I was struck by the diversity of the labor community I could see around me. There were truck drivers talking to librarians, firemen chanting with nurses, plumbers alongside prison guards. Every combination you could imagine was represented.

For the next several hours, we sang, chanted, and raised all sorts of hell while the Republican controlled Senate did their best to ignore us. There were visits from former governor Ted Strickland, and Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who were both greeted by cheers from the crowd. F

After returning to the union office, we made the drive back to Huntington. By the time I made it back to the hotel, it was around 10:30pm. I rolled into bed, thoroughly exhausted, but with a huge smile on my face. "This could be good," I thought to myself as I drifted off to sleep.

As I mentioned, this is a rough draft and I'm open to any feedback. More to come.

In Solidarity,

Joseph

A Few Things I'd Like To See This Labor Day

Here are a few things I would like to see this Labor Day:

1. An actual push by the labor movement to organize new workers. I actually kind of liked the AFL-CIO commercial last year, but I'd like to see one this year that simply lists the benefits of being in a union vs. non-union with a message that says "If you'd like to learn more about joining a union or starting one where you work, call this number" with a number set up by the AFL-CIO to direct people to the appropriate labor union.

Sounds simple doesn't it? It is, except it would mean that big labor would actually have to spend some money on organizing - what a concept!

2. While millions of Americans are watching football, wouldn't it be awesome to see a commercial(maybe even the sort of one listed in number 1) featuring some of the biggest names in the NFL, who oh, by the way, happen to be union members, publicly supporting unions and encouraging people to organize?

3. Since it hasn't happened up to this point, wouldn't it be nice to have a union friendly President come out publicly in support of unions, and the right to organize freely under the Employee Free Choice Act? Does anyone remember Candidate Obama saying he'd be right out there on the picket line with workers? If anyone has a picture of Obama in Wisconsin, or at the Ohio Statehouse, or on the picket line with Verizon workers, please send it to me - I think I missed something.

In Solidarity,

Joseph

p.s. - if you are interested in joining a union, please post a comment and I'll direct you to a union in your industry.

Back In Action

So...it's been a few weeks since my last post.  I've been tied up in contract negotiations in Eastern Kentucky, where management is utilizing what I like to call The Crystal Ball Theory.  That's when your company has made money, but you think you may possibly not make as much money, so let's punish the workers based on hypotheticals.  You'd think I'm joking, but I'm not. 

That aside, it's been a crazy world in the labor community in the last month.  I got to be a part of collecting a record number of petitions to get a referendum on Ohio Senate Bill 5.  I'm preparing for officer elections next month, which is one of my favorite parts of the union business - democracy in action, and to top it all off, my fellow SEIU/1199 WV/KY/OH staff members made history by ratifying our 1st staff union contract.  I'll be sure to have a lengthy post on that tomorrow.

Enough with the lull in posts, I'm back in action!

In Solidarity,

Joseph

Pictures from the S.B. 5 Protest in Ohio

Here are a few pics I snapped the other day in Columbus:

Good Stuff.  Sad that S.B. 5 passed, but I don't think we've heard the last of this fight.

Referendum Anyone?

In Solidarity,

Joseph

Hoffa, a Nun, and some Puppets Walked Into a Bar...

Well, they all made appearances in Columbus, anyway.  Yesterday's rally was a wonderful thing to be a part of, as 25,000 people gathered in solidarity to fight the job killing, union busting, steaming pile of you-know-what known as S. B. 5 in Ohio. 

Teamsters President James Hoff, SEIU President Mary Kay Henry, some fired up Dominican Nuns, and yes, even a large collection of puppets all made appearances.  Let's keep the pressure on as we fight to save collective bargaining rights in Ohio!

In Solidarity,

Joseph

Growing Numbers in Madison

According to Talking Points Memo, the crowd at the Wisconsin Capitol were larger than the 70k that gathered last weekend.  This should set up an interesting showdown tomorrow, as state officials have said they will attempt to close the Capitol building at 4pm on Sunday.  Prior to this point, protesters had been allowed to stay inside around the clock.

I will be headed to Columbus, OH, again on Tuesday for another rally in opposition to S.B. 5, which would strip state employees of their collective bargaining rights.  If you are anywhere near Madison, WI, or Columbus, OH, please consider joining us in support of workers' rights.

In Solidarity,

Joseph

Solidarity in Ohio

I just got back from spending the day inside the capitol building in Columbus, Ohio.  What I saw inside was a wonderful display of solidarity between many labor organizations.  This stood in stark contrast of the GOP's refusal to allow the citizens of Ohio to have their voices heard.  First, the locked down the capitol building, only allowing 500-700 people inside, while thousands rallied on the steps of the capitol.  Not to be denied, those of us inside made sure that they could hear us inside the chamber, as debate on Senate Bill 5 began. 

I got to shake hands with Rep. Dennis Kucinich, as well as former Gov. Ted Strickland.  I stood for several hours, and am tired, but all in all, this was an amazing first day with SEIU/1199 WV/KY/OH.  Hopefully, more people will continue to stand with the public service employees in Ohio and Wisconsin.  Today, Gov. Mitch Daniels in Indiana asked the state GOP to table efforts to strip collective bargaining rights from public service employees.  Gov. Rick Scott in Florida followed suit as well.  Now, someone just needs to get the memo through to Kasich and Walker.

In Solidarity,

Joseph

Why Wisconsin and Ohio Matter for All Workers

The ongoing events in Wisconsin and Ohio involving the attempts to roll back workers' rights for public employees should have the attention of all workers, public and private.  Why does this matter for those of us who either work in the private sector, or don't live in one of the aforementioned states?  This matters because if Gov. Walker in Wisconsin, and Gov. Kasich in Ohio are successful in nullifying decades of workers' rights, every other union busting, tea bagging, right-wing governor will be right behind them.

For those who are in the private sector, and think this doesn't have any importance to them, consider this:

If the collective bargaining rights are done away with in the public sector, which is much more organized than the private sector, how long do you think it will be before they come to take away your rights?

For my friends in the labor movement, especially my fellow young workers who have talked about being ready to fight, old-school union style:

The time is now!

If you are anywhere close to Wisconsin or Madison, I urge you to go join the protests.  There isn't a better opportunity or cause to get behind right now.

In Solidarity,

Joseph